Caribbean News Now!

By Caribbean News Now Correspondent

PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos Islands -- Former politicians from the Progressive National Party (PNP) in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) are now using disagreements between Britain and Anguilla as stepping stones to preach against British direct rule in the TCI.

This week, former PNP minister turned talk show host, Robert Hall, is visiting Anguilla to network with Anguillan politicians and appear on a local radio show that is similar to his TCI Expressions show, which permits callers to phone in with comments and questions.

Anguillan Chief Minister Hubert Hughes, who has been in office for approximately one year, is doing battle with the territory’s British Governor Alistair Harrison.

Harrison, who was appointed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) under the former British Labour government, has recently refused to approve the elected government’s budget proposals.

Hughes is reportedly trying to move the tiny territory towards independence. The total land mass of Anguilla is only 35 square miles.

The current difficulties in Anguilla may be yet another manifestation of the previous British government’s failed policies regarding the British Overseas Territories. This was reflected by the first Anguillan caller, who admonished the British for not paying attention to the opposition’s cries for attention in the Anguillan House of Assembly.

Hall was asked if the opposition was active in the TCI, to which he replied, “Well, oppositions are oppositions; that is what they do.”

He went on to say the opposition did agree on some issues with the then PNP incumbent government.

Hall failed to mention a controversial motion for a vote of “no confidence” brought by the then Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) opposition in the TCI. The motion was sidetracked by then Speaker Clayton Greene on a still-contested technicality.

However, TCI premier Michael Misick resigned shortly thereafter, ushering in the brief tenure of his successor, Galmo Williams.

This was, nevertheless, too late as massive debts and allegations of corruption had already indicated a British takeover was looming.

With current politics changing in Britain and a new minister for the Overseas Territories, Henry Bellingham, in place it is yet to be seen what the new coalition government will do about the relationship between Britain and its overseas territories in the Atlantic and Caribbean. Both Bellingham and British MP Andrew Rosindell have promised a new relationship with all 14 overseas territories worldwide.

The British Labour party’s policy of “hands off” resulted in a Commission of Inquiry in the Turks and Caicos Islands in 2009, which was called for by the Foreign Affairs Committee (FAC), which sent Conservative MP Sir John Stanley and two other parliamentarians to check into the activities of the then PNP administration.

The results of the Inquiry resulted in a call for direct rule by Britain as a result of obvious PNP mismanagement and what the Commission called systemic government corruption.

When asked in Anguilla if there were any alternatives to direct rule, Hall said that some people (a reference to former Overseas Territories Minister Meg Munn and Overseas Territories Director Leigh Turner) could not find enough evidence to call for the Inquiry.

Hall went on to lament the inquiry process as very painful. All Inquiry witnesses were connected to Hall’s PNP patty

Anguilla's Chief Minister Hughes has claimed he received a letter from the territory’s governor to resign. However, Governor Harrison denies this and it appears Hughes has yet to produce the letter.

Also chiming in on the fray is former PNP deputy premier Royal Robinson, who is receiving space in the local newspapers to write outspoken opinion pieces. In this week’s article, Robinson has indicated his view of TCI Governor Gordon Wetherell is that he (Wetherell) is a “Satan”.

Robinson's previous article of a week ago referred to the British as “occupiers”. Hall picked up on this on his radio appearance in Anguilla, claiming that many in the TCI agree with this designation.

However, this apparently does not ring true with the vast majority of TCIslanders, as this is the first time it has been aired in the media.

In 2011, PNP former ministers are facing possible and expected prosecutions from the massive investigation by the Helen Garlick-led team of 40 investigators. Garlick is known for careful investigations and for winning prosecutions of politically based corruption.

Local investigations have already resulted in the conviction of Ponzi scheme promoter, Jamaican David Smith, who when operating in the TCI was closely associated with former PNP officials.

A former local pilot and the planning director have been called to account for land flips benefiting them over a million dollars each. A lesser official of the PNP and the brother of a former PNP minister have also been picked up for questioning.

The average income in Anguilla is $8,000 per capita and in the TCI it is $14,000. Anguilla uses EC dollars and TCI the US dollar as their respective currencies.

In the TCI, top PNP ministers earned over $125,000 per year and PNP Premier Misick was able to construct his own $15 million residence, charging the public purse for a service staff of 12, expensive SUVs and chauffeurs, bodyguards, all his utilities and his own private jet and pilot. None of this was mentioned by Hall in Anguilla.

While Robinson has written against Wetherell's jet trips, they have been via commercial flights and have been strictly business. PNP Premier Misick was under scrutiny for numerous trips to Hollywood and other destinations worldwide for pleasure or to conduct personal business.

Hall, who hosts his “Expressions” show on the government sponsored radio station “Radio Turks and Caicos”, has been seriously considering running for leadership of the PNP and said on Monday during his Anguillan radio show appearance that “politicians in the TCI are not mature politically”.

As a result of the activities of the former PNP administration, which was supported by Hall, and of which Robinson was a part, the country has been left with obligations and debts exceeding one third of a billion dollars. A civil recovery team is working towards restoring millions diverted by the PNP-led government.

It has been reported that Royal Robinson, whose background was surveying, owns an extensive amount of land. This land was previously reported to have been used as collateral for a very large loan from the Belize Bank to finance the PNP election win of February 2007.

The issue of independence is not being seriously considered by the population of the TCI, who view independence as jeopardising the continued use of the US dollar and visa access to the USA.

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Robert Adams:
Most TCI islanders look at the British as "occupiers". (what do you think they are?)